Guitar legend, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee, and former Kiss member Ace Frehley recently released the video for “Cherry Medicine,” which is featured on his new album, "10,000 Volts." The Cherry Medicine video was directed by Justin Reich (www.justinreich.com), who says the legendary musician didn’t mince words with what he saw as his vision for the track.
“Fast cars, beautiful women, and rock & roll,” Reich recalls. “With a song like ‘Cherry Medicine,’ that's really all you need. No need to reinvent the wheel. You just have to make sure it's shiny and chrome, goes fast and won't fall off.”
Reich says the production found an Italian-style villa in Staten Island, NY, that was easy to access and had plenty of unique rooms to shoot in.
“It was the perfect backdrop to host our little rock & roll party, and Ace loved it,” recalls the director.
Due to time and budget constraints, the team only had one day to pull off the shoot, so luckily, the weather cooperated, as a major snowstorm would soon follow.
“We used the Red Gemini, paired with a set of Canon CN-E zoom lenses as our A-cam on a slider,” Reich notes. “For all of the handheld shots, we used a Sony FX9, shooting in super35 mode, with a Canon 24-105 with a Metabones Speed Booster to give us that extra stop.”
The video is presented in an extremely-wide aspect ratio, which was able to showcasing the house, the room where Ace and the girls partied, and stacks of Marshall amps that serve as a backdrop for the band.
“Naturally, the 2.39:1 aspect ratio seemed like the most sensible choice,” Reich explains. “It frames those types of shots so well.”
With shoots like these, where Reich and his small team are moving fast, light meters tend to stay packed away.
“I'll typically use color-accurate, calibrated monitors and toggle their false color just to make sure our skin tones are exposed well, and that we are protecting our highlights and not crushing our blacks,” he explains. “Also, knowing that I will be handling everything in the DI gives me a lot more confidence and allows me to make quicker decisions on the day.”
Visual effects and some stock shots were gathered from a few online resources.
“Using stock imagery can sometimes be seen as a faux pas, but I'm a big believer that if you dig deep enough, you can find some truly-amazing stuff out there,” notes the director. “Then, after you composite it, color grade it, add some texture via grain, and/or simulated lens effects, it starts to take on its own genuine nature that feels inherently authentic to the work.”
In addition to directing, Reich handled the edit, visual effects and color grade, which is typical of his music video work. He used a combination of Adobe Premiere and Blackmagic Design’s DaVinci Resolve Studio. He also points to Video Village’s Filmbox plug-in for its film emulations capabilities.
“It makes the post process so much easier and faster, and to be honest, I love having that level of control,” he says of the additional responsibilities. “I shoot for the edit, so when I enter into the editing suite, not much gets left on the cutting-room floor.”
As for the final results, Reich (Instagram: @justinreich) says the team crushed it!
"I have a long history working with gaffer Matthew B. Moore (IG: @tshmatthew) and camera operator Tony M. Collins (IG: @tony_m_collins),” he explains. “Because of these guys and the shorthand we have developed over the years, it allows me to accomplish so much in a short amount of time. Their professionalism and skillset for these lightning-fast shoots is second to none and I'm truly thankful for what they bring to every production.”
Reich also credits key grip Cedric Brandon and grip Isaiah Dandin Hutson for making the shoot possible.